Once and For All: Fury defeats Wilder in an 11 round boxing thriller

And still the WBC and Lineal heavyweight champion… Tyson Fury! 

Defending champion Tyson Fury knocks out challenger Deontay Wilder in the 11th round to retain his championship and settle the rivalry once and for all.

The boxing world has seen many rivalries in its day, and that of Fury and Wilder is probably the biggest in modern-day boxing. The current year marks the third year of a heated battle of supremacy that began towards the end of 2018. And today’s (9 October 2021) match marked the last round of the fight trilogy.

With their first bout ending in a controversial draw, and the second in a seventh-round TKO by Fury, the Fury vs. Wilder III was perfectly set to be the deciding factor. Who reigns supreme, Fury or Wilder? This was the question on everyone’s lips and minds as the boxing world and fans geared up for an evening packed with mouthwatering potential and fireworks. And boy, did it deliver!

The evening got off to an interesting start with two undercard matches between Vladimir Hernandez & Julian Williams, and Edgar Berlanga & Marcelo Esteban Coceres respectively. The main card had four fights: Jared Anderson (winner) vs. Vladimir Tereshkin, Robert Helenius (winner) vs. Adam Kownacki, Frank Sánchez (winner) vs. Efe Ajagba, and of course, Fury vs. Wilder.

Fury vs Wilder fight moments

Being his first time coming to the ring as a challenger, Wilder took his time, keeping a sold-out T-Mobile Arena waiting for what seemed to be decades. He eventually emerged in red gear with beaded necklaces representative of his Nigerian roots. Fury followed shortly with an entrance dramatic enough to be a show on its own. The fight got off to a frantic start, and it was nonstop action till the end.

Read also: Fury vs Wilder III match. Facts and stats of the boxing fight trilogy.

From the first ding of the bell, it was chaos and jabs and blows and hits and stumbles and so much more. Having had 20 months to rue his loss in the second match and make necessary changes, The Bronze Bomber came out guns blazing, moving with sinister intent and deliberate force from the get, making his opponent feel the heat, with almost no time to decide if he wanted to stay in the kitchen or run.

The Gypsy King weathered the early storms, and when some semblance of calm was established, he went right to work! Mano a Mano, the two heavyweights slugged it out, punch after punch. It was Wilder who first hit the canvas in the 3rd round from a firm right punch to the jaw. Then, in the 4th round, he put Fury down twice, rattling the champion’s cage. Quite the spectacle!

The following rounds saw both men take and dish out blows as they ruffled each other’s feathers, struggling to remain in the game. Fury landed the most punches all night long, but the fight was a balanced fight for the most part. That is of course until the 10th round when he fell Wilder to the canvas again as he edged closer to victory.

The final blow

Both men had worn each other out, but Wilder looked the more tired of the two. He had begun to struggle to stay on his feet, but he kept throwing punches, with no sign of intent to give up. It however took only 1:10 mins in the 11th round for him to be finally put to sleep. A series of blows including an uppercut, a left jab, and a strong right punch did the trick. And it was not the night for the Bronze Bomber. His entire 6ft 7′ length landed on the blue canvas and the referee put an end to his suffering.

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Up until that moment, however, you could not say or guess what was going to happen. Each time Wilder looked down and out, he sprang surprise spells of punches strong and devastating enough to take out Fury. It was tight and keenly contested. A worthy conquest between two warriors. You couldn’t blink. Your heart couldn’t beat normally. You couldn’t sit comfortably. You couldn’t relax for a second.

Two men in their prime with so much to prove. Two familiar rivals locking horns for a record third time with so much at stake. Two men creating a legacy, out to make sure their names are never forgotten in the world of sports and Boxing. Two men, with a bitter rivalry and 12 rounds to make an everlasting statement. And they did exactly that.

Fury rounded off the night by thanking God, the audience, sponsors, his team (especially his trainer, Sugarhill), and his wife. He also said he tried to salute Wilder in the spirit of sportsmanship, but he was turned down. In his words: “I pray God softens his heart.”

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